Seahawks’ Brady Russell went from college walk-on to Super Bowl captain

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Brady Russell doesn’t really remember when he first decided to warm up without a shirt before a football game.

He’s pretty sure it was at some point during his years at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado.

It was certainly a routine by the time he was attending the University of Colorado, where he was originally a walk-on in 2017 before earning a scholarship and spending five seasons playing for the Buffaloes.

No matter if it’s subfreezing temperatures, torrential downpours, or 90-degree heat, when he first takes the field two hours or so before every game, Russell is the guy you can see out there without a jersey or any type of shirt.

“Yeah it is different,” he said. “But I like being in the weather, feeling it.”

Yes, he says, sometimes he gets cold or wet.

“But when it’s sunny and I’ve got my shirt off, it feels like everybody else is probably jealous,” Russell said.

To Russell, it’s no big deal, though he says, “It seems to get a lot of attention … I’ve done it forever. I’ve never really thought it was a weird thing, but everybody here thinks so.”

Receiver/returner Rashid Shaheed, who came to Seattle in a trade with New Orleans on Nov. 4, was among those who didn’t know what to think the first time he saw Russell warm up.

“I thought it was like a one-game thing,” Shaheed said. “But he does it every single week. It’s obviously a tradition and it’s working for him. So, keep your shirt off.”

Russell said that even though the next game he will play in is not only the biggest of his life – but also the most-watched game and TV event of every year – he’ll warm up without a shirt or jersey.

“Next week will be good,” he said, noting that despite suffering a hand injury in the NFC title game against the Rams, he has every intention of playing in the Super Bowl and keeping to his usual routine.

Far more important is something Russell will actually be wearing – the title of special-teams game captain for the Seahawks.

Russell was named as a captain for the game last week along with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for offense and cornerback Devon Witherspoon for defense.

Russell was named not only for the role he plays on all four core special teams – kickoff return and coverage and punt return and coverage, as well as on the field goal/PAT team – but for the tone he sets in the meeting room and practice field.

“It means the world, obviously, that they trust me in the biggest game of the season to be one of the leaders and one of the guys that steps out in front,” he said. “It means a ton to have that trust.”

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald says it’s well-earned.

Russell was already with the Seahawks, arriving in September of 2023 when he was signed off the Eagles’ practice squad, when Macdonald took over in 2024.

Macdonald said he noticed “from day one, how much pride he took in his role, setting an example for how we wants to operate here with our special-teams units. Guys follow his lead. His energy every day is contagious. Love for his teammates, love for the game, unselfish. He’s tough as nails. You could argue he’s probably one of the best core four combo guys in the league. He’s been doing it for a couple years.”

Safety Julian Love said players have long regarded Russell as the leader of the special teams.

“We have a lot of leaders in the room, but I think every time Brady speaks, people listen,” Love said. “He’s one of those guys.”

He’s leading a special-teams unit that has been among the best in the NFL, scoring five touchdowns this season, contributing to a few others and often setting the Seahawks up in advantageous field positions.

Russell was at the focal point of one of the biggest plays of the season for the special teams when he teamed with linebacker Patrick O’Connell to pull off a cross-block that helped open a big hole for Shaheed to run for a touchdown to open the divisional playoff game win against the 49ers.

Russell has gotten this far by being willing to do whatever it takes, and doing so selflessly.

Russell was a two-star recruit from 247Sports.com as a tight end and defensive end out of high school and received no Division-I offers as a senior.

Instead of going to a lower-division school on scholarship, he decided to bet on himself and take an offer as a walk-on from Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre in 2017. Russell was named the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year that season to earn a scholarship.

After five years at Colorado in which he started 37 games and had 67 receptions for 799 yards, the story was the same.

Russell went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Eagles, where his uncle, Matt Russell, is the senior personnel director/adviser to the general manager. He was released and re-signed to Philly’s practice squad

Two weeks into the season, when Will Dissly suffered a shoulder injury, the Seahawks plucked Russell away, signing him to the 53-man roster.

Russell recalls getting a call late on a Tuesday night.

On the other end, he says he heard: “Hey, it’s Pete Carroll – could you come play Sunday for us?” Russell recalled. “I was like, ‘Sure, I don’t know how that works.’ But I was on a plane the next morning flying out here.”

He played 26 special teams and offensive snaps against Carolina four days later. Despite not joining the team until Sept. 20, he finished the 2023 season second on the Seahawks in special-teams snaps.

“I feel like my whole rookie year I was looking over my shoulder waiting for the Grim Reaper to come up after a game and tell me to bring my iPad to coach,” Russell said, a reference to the routine in the league when a player is released. “But that never happened, fortunately.”

Now, as the special-teams captain designation indicates, the 27-year-old Russell could be in for a long stay in the NFL. Not only is he a core special-teams player but also valued for his versatility playing tight end and fullback – he’s officially a fullback again at the moment.

He’s making $1.030 million this season as an exclusive rights free agent but will be a restricted free agent after the season and could be in for a big payday in 2026.

While his journey from walk-on to undrafted free agent to Super Bowl captain is one he calls “cool,” it’s also one he’s trying to keep in the back of his mind for now.

“That can just be more noise and distraction to going and winning this game against the Patriots,” he said. “After the season I can kind of reflect a little bit and take time if I want to.”